Lost
by by7the7sea
Summary: What would happen to a mind-wiped John when he has to cope with the death of Jedikiah and the only people that can help are the ones he doesn't remember. UPDATE: Re-wrote one section of Chapter 6 to clear up conflicting information. So, if you read this story before 12/9/2014, please re-read Chapter 6.
1. Chapter 1 - Chaos

Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: ~ "text" ~ indicates telepathy.

**xxx TTP xxx**

John arrived a moment too late. The shot was fired and hit Jedikiah right in the chest then he fell to the ground. Time seemed to slow down as John watched Natalie smile then teleport out.

"Nooo," John yelled and ran over to Jedikiah. He dropped to his knees and tried to stop the bleeding.

"John," Jedikiah said weakly. "It's too late."

"No, we just need to stop the bleeding," John was trying to stay calm, but was not being too successful at it. He was pressing both hands against the wound to stem the flow of blood.

"John ... stop," Jedikiah was trying to get John's attention. "Son, please." He weakly tried to grab John's arm. When John looked at him, Jedikiah could see the tears in John's eyes.

"I'm sorry ... everything ... I've done, I did ... because ... I didn't want ... to lose you ... again."

"What are you talking about? You're not making any sense." John's fear and confusion was evident in his voice.

"John, stay safe ... I love you, son." With those words, Jedikiah died.

"Jed!" John yelled. He was still trying to stop the bleeding. Every once in awhile looking around for help.

A few moments after Jedikiah took his last breath, police descended on the area. The police pulled John away. He was in a state of shock, not sure what to do or where to go. He knew they were asking him questions, he just couldn't think about anything other than Jedikiah being gone. His boss, mentor ... father was dead.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Cara was showing some of the new arrivals around the Refuge when she felt a sharp, sudden jolt of pain from John. It surprised and confused her. She hadn't sensed anything from him since it appeared like he was breaking out.

"I'm sorry. Something has come up, so that will be the end of our tour today," Cara told the group. "Just make yourselves at home and if you have any questions ... see Russell."

~ "Stephen, where are you?" ~ Cara frantically called to Stephen.

~ "En route to the Refuge, why?" ~ Stephen replied ~ "What's wrong?" ~

~ "I sensed John again ... something happened, he's in pain." ~

~ "Is he hurt?" ~

~ "No. It's not physical, it's emotional. I need to find him." ~

**xxx TTP xxx**

In an abandoned warehouse, Natalie, in a celebratory mood, returned to her compatriots.

"It's done," she told them. "Jedikiah will no longer be a threat to us. We can do whatever we want now."

"Not so fast, Natalie. What about John?" questioned Cal, one of the former Lair occupants who went along with Natalie to join Ultra. He had just teleported in and heard the last part of her proclamation.

"What about him?" She turned to Cal. "He's human, he won't be a problem."

"Not from what I saw," he replied. "John teleported in right after you pulled the trigger. He has his powers back somehow."

"You're lying," Natalie said. "I didn't see him."

"Well, you were quite full of yourself when you saw Jedikiah go down," Cal dared to say to her. "John was quite upset. I teleported out when I heard the police coming."

"Then we will just take care of him, too," Natalie stated confidently. "Wasn't there an apartment on our list? It was supposed to be where Jedikiah lived. We'll just go check it out."

**xxx TTP xxx**

"Sir ... sir," the officer said to John, shaking his arm slightly trying to snap him out of the trance he seemed to be in. "Can you tell me what happened here?"

"I'm not sure," John said. "I heard the gunshot as soon as I tel ..." John paused, just catching himself, "... arrived. The next thing I remember is Jedikiah falling to the ground and all the blood." He looked down at his hands, which were covered in blood. He began rubbing at the blood to try and get it off, but it wasn't working.

**xxx TTP xxx **

Once Stephen arrived at the Refuge, he found Cara in what used to be Jedikiah's office. She was standing by the window staring out at the city.

"So, you sensed John again?" Stephen approached her slowly. "Why? How?"

"I don't know," Cara replied softly, lost in thought. "Apparently it's only when something powerful happens ... first him breaking out and now ... it must have been something traumatic."

"What did you feel?" Stephen wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

Finally turning around, Cara moved over and leaned against the desk.

"Shock, pain, confusion ... despair." Cara said. "And loneliness. The last thing I felt from him was ... loss."

She looked at Stephen. "I need to find him."

**xxx TTP xxx**

Once the police finished questioning John, he went back to the apartment. As soon as he walked through the door, he heard a gunshot. This time, though, he reflexively put up his hand in a defensive action and closed his eyes. After a good minute, he opened his eyes to see why nothing was happening. What he saw was the bullet seemingly frozen in midair. He could see the trajectory. It was a direct shot to his chest.

Losing the safety of home, he teleported out. He didn't want to be there any ways.

**xxx TTP xxx**

As Stephen and Cara discussed how to find John, Russell came running into the office.

"Hey, guys," Russell said. "Did you hear the news?"

Cara and Stephen gave each other a look then said simultaneously, "What news?"

"Jedikiah is dead. There was just a report on the news about it." Russell stated. "Apparently he was shot."

"When did it happen?" Cara asked urgently. She had a feeling she knew the answer.

"Earlier today, around 10 this morning, why?"

The timing was right. Now Cara just needed to find John and find out what happened.

**xxx TTP xxx**

As John wandered for awhile, he found himself in front of a noodle shop. He didn't recognize it, but had a feeling that it was a safe place, so he went in.

The place was dimly lit. He welcomed the darkness. It matched his mood. As he glanced around, looking at the tables, booths then finally the counter, an image flashed in his mind. It was quick. He saw Jedikiah walk past and sit across from him at the end of the counter.

It was confusing. He would have sworn he never had been here, but yet there was this vivid flash of a memory. Deja vu? No, it couldn't be. Jedikiah wouldn't even come near a place like this.

John walked over to an empty table in the far corner. It was away from the door and he sat with his back to the wall. He wanted to make sure he could see anyone coming.

**xxx TTP xxx **

Cara entered the noodle shop. She had just about given up finding John when she spotted him in the far corner.

"John!" Cara said as she ran over to him. When he looked up, she was met with confusion and fear as he jumped back from the table and her.

"What?" He responded, raising his hand to stop her. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"It's me, Cara."

"Look ... Cara, is it? I don't know you," John said as his hand drifted toward his gun. "How do you know my name? And, one more thing, what do you want?"

"So that's why he didn't come back to us," Cara said quietly as she realized what this meant.

"What was that?" John replied.

"Nothing," she said quickly. "I want to help you. We are connected. I know something happened to you recently, something that hurt you deeply. I felt it."

When John didn't respond and avoided looking at her, she continued. "I heard about Jedikiah."

He looked at her. The pain she saw in his eyes and felt from him threatened to overwhelm her, so she looked away.

"Just leave me alone," John yelled then ran out of the noodle shop.

Cara chased after him. She couldn't let him be alone with all that grief and didn't want to lose him again.

John had a bit of a head start and Cara almost lost him. She caught up to him when he had run down an alley and came to an abrupt stop. She thought he was going to teleport, but he stood there and put up his hands. When Cara moved past the dumpster, she saw Natalie at the other side with a gun aimed right at John.

"No!" Cara yelled. She telekinetically pushed Natalie into the wall, knocking her out. Cara then ran to John, grabbed him and teleported both of them out of there.


	2. Chapter 2 - Found?

Author's Note: Kind of a short chapter, but the next one should be longer.

~ "text" ~ indicates telepathy

**xxx TTP xxx**

John just wanted to be alone. He didn't know this Cara and once she brought up Jedikiah, the grief threatened to overwhelm him again.

"Just leave me alone," John yelled at her then ran out of the Noodle Shop.

He had to get away. He had to find a place where he could stop, rest and figure out what he needed to do now that Jedikiah was gone. He couldn't go home; it wasn't safe.

As he ran, he wondered now what was he going to do about his memory gaps? It hadn't been an issue because Jedikiah was there to help him through it. But who could help him now?

He finally found an abandoned alleyway. He ran down it and, just as he was about to teleport, he heard that sound on the other side. When he turned, he saw Natalie pointing a gun at him. Too lost and alone to care, he put up his hands waiting for the inevitable. He started to close his eyes when he heard someone shout "nooo!" Natalie was pushed into the wall then someone grabbed him and teleported him out of there.

**xxx TTP xxx**

At the Refuge, Stephen felt Cara's fear then nothing. The fear didn't seem to be for herself. He was in the middle of training a few new arrivals, so he wanted to finish up what he was doing then he would contact her. Although he did decide to forgo a couple of exercises at the end. That way he could contact her in 15 minutes instead of a half hour.

**xxx TTP xxx**

As Natalie regained consciousness, she looked around and swore when she didn't see anybody else. No John. She punched the ground, stood up and teleported back to the warehouse.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Cara and John landed roughly in the Lair. It was the first place she could think of to take him. A place where it would be quiet and they would get a chance to talk. The Lair was empty since everyone was congregating at the Refuge.

"Are you okay?" Cara asked as she approached him tentatively.

"Yeah," John replied as he slowly sat up. "I think so ... why did you do that?"

Cara took a moment to consider her response carefully. "As I told you in the Noodle Shop, we're connected ... and I ... care about you." She wanted to say that she loved him, but figured it would be better to take it slow.

"You look exhausted. Why don't you go into that room and rest for awhile." She pointed to TIM's room.

John looked around, taking in the abandoned feel of the place. "Where are we?"

"It's an abandoned subway station you ... we used to use. We were able to move into a bigger place."

"We?" John inquired.

"Yes, a group of us like you." She struggled to find an explanation without including his involvement in it. "We found each other and stuck together, watching out for each other."

"Sounds nice," John said just as he started to yawn.

She walked him over to TIM's room.

"Here you go. The couch is pretty comfortable, so you should be able to get some rest." She smiled at him. That couch was just about the only piece of furniture left in the place.

"Thank you," John said sincerely. "Not just for this, but for saving my life."

She watched him go over to the couch and get settled in. It didn't take him long to fall into a deep sleep.

Cara wanted to just stand there and watch him sleep. She was so happy to have him back. John was found ... yet still missing. How had he lost his memory?

"Jedikiah," she said softly to herself. It had to have been him.

~ "Cara, where are you?" ~ Stephen sent. He was very worried about her.

~ "In the Lair. I found John. He's here with me." ~ She replied as she walked away to let John sleep.

~ "Great! How is he? Why didn't you just bring him here?" ~ Stephen questioned her.

~ "Too many people. He's lost his memory and grieving Jedikiah. Just thought it would be best to give him some space and time to deal with that." ~

~ "Lost his memory?" ~ Stephen parroted.

~ "Oh, also, Natalie tried to kill him." ~ Cara replied urgently.

~ "What?!" ~

**xxx TTP xxx**

When Natalie returned to the Warehouse, she was not in the best of moods. Most of her gang promptly got out of her way as she went into a rampage, throwing anything that could be lifted and kicking those that couldn't be moved. Finally she stopped and screamed.

"He got away," she yelled and punched the wall. "Someone intervened and John got away. He will be a thorn in our side until we can take him out of the picture."


	3. Chapter 3 - Below the Surface

Author's Note: ~ "text" ~ indicates telepathy

_italicized text_ indicates thoughts

**xxx TTP xxx **

John slept peacefully until the dream started. That's when the tossing and turning began.

In the dream, he was standing a few feet from Jedikiah, facing him. There was no sound, only images flashing by - Jedikiah holding a gun, Jedikiah pulling the trigger. Jedikiah talking, his mouth moving, but John couldn't hear anything. John's subconscious tried to make sense of what he was seeing "What was he saying? Who was he aiming at? Who did he try to shoot? Didn't he see me standing there in front of him? Wait ... it was ... me?! What? No, it can't be."

He looked again and there was no mistaking the path the bullet was on ... time seemed to slow down and as the realization hit that Jedikiah had just tried to shoot him, he woke up screaming "NOOOO!" He fell off the couch as he jerked awake and was almost hyperventilating. He stayed on the floor but leaned up against the couch. He pressed his hands to his face, then let his head drop forward grasping his hands above his head in a feeble attempt to shield himself from the nightmare.

"No, no, no," John repeated to himself. "It can't be true ... it was just a dream. Jedikiah protected me, he wouldn't shoot me."

As he was trying to calm himself down, Cara ran into the room.

"John, what is it?" She knelt down in front of him. "What happened?"

"It was just a dream ... a nightmare," John still hadn't realized Cara was there. He was having a hard time shaking off the feeling that it was more than just a dream ... that it was real.

"John ..." Cara said softly then reached out and gently touched his arm. He jumped at her touch. She withdrew the hand and said "It's okay. You're okay."

"It felt real, like it wasn't just a dream," John told her.

"What happened in the dream," she asked again.

"I was standing in front of Jedikiah and ..." he didn't want to go on, he just wanted to forget.

"And what, John?" Cara encouraged him to continue.

"And he pulled the trigger," John said quickly. "He tried to shoot me and I was staring at the bullet … then it seemed to slow down and before it hit me I woke up."

A distant memory flickered in Cara's mind. The time they invaded Ultra to rescue Stephen and Jedikiah tried to shoot John. She remembered Stephen stopped time and teleported all of them out of there.

The memories were still there somewhere, she just had to figure out how to help him access them. It gave her hope that John would eventually regain his memories.

"I don't understand," John said, interrupting her thoughts. "From what I can remember, Jedikiah has always been there for me. He raised me ... if Jed were here .."

Hearing John asking for ... needing Jedikiah, unnerved Cara before she reminded herself that John, right now, doesn't know any better. She had to focus on helping him through this and put aside her hatred of Jedikiah. Raging against Jedikiah would only push John away, which was something she definitely did not want to happen. She had to be careful in handling this situation.

"If Jed were here ... what?" Cara needed to know what he meant by that.

"He would help me understand what's going on," John replied. "He's always helped me through these times, ever since my memory lapses started."

"And when was that?" Cara thought this answer should be very telling.

"Around the time the Founder tried to take my powers," John responded.

"The Founder tried to take your powers?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yeah, he tried to, but ... as Jedikiah explained it to me," John continued, "the Founder used a modified, untested formula, which wiped out some memories instead of taking my powers."

Jedikiah always could spin quite a tale, Cara thought.

"Well, I'll help you figure it out, but first when was the last time you ate?" Cara asked as she helped him get up.

He thought about it for a moment then responded. "Not really sure. It's been kind of chaotic lately."

"Just try to relax and make yourself comfortable while I go get us something to eat," she told him. "I won't be long and when I get back we'll discuss your dream."

She walked out of the room, but then stuck her head back in to say "Oh, don't go wandering too far. Wouldn't want you to get lost in the maze of tunnels down here." She smiled at him then left.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Natalie and her group were scoping out locations where John had been seen. She had her group check out the more recent ones.

Meanwhile, Natalie decided to check out some of John's old haunts, the few that the Lair group frequented. Her first stop was the noodle shop. This time, though, she just happened to run into Russell.

"Hey, Russell," Natalie called to him. "Have you seen John around lately?"

Russell wanted to bolt when he recognized that voice, but her asking about John stopped him in his tracks. He missed his friend and if she would have any information that might lead to finding him, he had to know what she wanted. She wouldn't just mention John casually like that if she didn't know something.

"No," he replied tentatively as he turned around to face her. "Not recently. It's actually been quite awhile since anyone has seen him. Why?"

"Funny, I just saw him the other day," she said innocently. "Was going to show him something when he disappeared." Suddenly, she flashed back to that moment and this time remembered hearing someone yell. She knew that voice. It was Cara.

Instantly reacting to that realization, she took out her gun and shot Russell in the leg. He immediately fell to the ground, screaming in agony. She ran over, grabbed him by the collar and teleported both out of there.

**xxx TTP xxx**

While John waited for Cara to return, and to distract himself from any other thoughts about the dream or Jedikiah, he decided to check out this mysterious but intriguing place.

After exploring a few of the tunnels, they all seemed to lead to dead ends, so he just teleported back to the main area. He landed right in front of the room he had slept in. Not wanting to venture back in there so soon, he turned to the other room, which seemed to be some kind of workout area. Both of these rooms in particular seem to have a strange pull on him.

Walking over to the entrance of the workout area, he hesitated. It was almost as if there was some kind of invisible wall holding him at bay. It scared him, but as he stepped over the threshold, it passed and he wondered why that even happened. He laughed it off as his mind playing tricks on him.

Seeing some mats on the floor, he figured it must have been some kind of training area. He was surprised how high the ceilings were and wondered who could have found this place and how it became abandoned. As he approached the raised platform, he suddenly got an uneasy feeling and stepped back a bit. He took a few more steps closer to the stairs, then stopped as it stirred some emotions that confused him. How could someplace he's never been cause him to feel this way?

As he walked back to the center of the room, an image of an anxious, scared little girl flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes and tried to recall it. To his surprise, he was able to retrieve it. He saw her lips moving, but couldn't hear her. Every movement, every facial expression conveyed fear, worry. Who was this? Why was she so scared? Was it one of his missing memories or just his imagination getting the best of him?

Out of the blue, a name came to him ... Charlie. It seemed to be connected to the little girl, but how? _Charlie is a boy's name, isn't it?_

**xxx TTP xxx**

Cara couldn't believe how hard it was to decide what to get to eat. She thought she knew, then second guessed herself because John seemed so different now. She settled on a pizza. "_Everybody loves pizza, right?" _she thought to herself.

She laughed. She was feeling happier than she had in a long time ... since before John disappeared. She was feeling optimistic about the chances of getting him back with all of his memories.

While waiting for the subway, she heard from someone she thought ... hoped ... had disappeared forever.

~ "Cara. I know you know where John is. Well, I have Russell. Have John meet me tomorrow at noon at Jedikiah's penthouse. If he doesn't show up, alone, you can say goodbye to Russell." ~

The subway train came and went, but Cara didn't get on. She was stunned to hear from Natalie. Fear caused her to freeze up. She knew what Natalie was capable of and, along with that realization, she felt the possibility of keeping John safe vanish.


	4. Chapter 4 - Takedown

**Author's Note:** ~ "text" ~ indicates telepathy

**xxx TTP xxx**

Shaking off the fear, Cara boarded the next train and got back to the Lair as quickly as she could.

"John!" Cara urgently called to him. "Where are you?"

"I'm over here," John said as he walked out of the training room. "Oh good, pizza. Jedikiah never wanted me to eat it, but I loved it."

He walked over and grabbed a slice from the box.

"We have a problem," Cara told him.

"What? What is it?"

"Natalie has Russell and will only let him go if you meet with her. If you don't, she'll kill him."

"Who's that?" John's confusion was evident.

"Russell is a friend of mine."

"Oh. And who's Natalie?"

"She's the one who tried to shoot you. The one I rescued you from."

"Ohhh," John flashed back to the alleyway. _So that was Natalie_ he thought.

"Wait a minute," now he tried to remember when Jedikiah was killed. He remembered teleporting in just as the gun was fired. He looked at the shooter ...

"She shot Jedikiah! Where does she want to meet?"

"Let's talk about this first. She's going to kill you!"

"She can try. Where does she want to meet?" John didn't want to discuss it. He needed to end this situation as soon as possible.

"You are supposed to meet her tomorrow at noon, but we need to explore other options ... figure out the best way to handle this."

"I know what to do. She wants to meet with me and I can handle it. There is no 'we' here." He turned and headed back to TIM's room.

"John, please, just listen to me," Cara said as she grabbed his arm to stop him. "What are you going to do?"

He wouldn't look at her, so she tried to read his mind but couldn't get past his defenses.

"I'm going to do what I was trained to do," he turned his head to look at her, "... eliminate the threat."

The look in John's eyes scared her. Of course, she knew he could kill, but he had never had that determination in his eyes before. Before he was always hesitant to even consider it. He carried a gun, but rarely used it. But now the difference was quite evident. It made her miss the John she knew.

"No, John, you can't."

"Why not?" He went into the room and started getting his few things together … putting on his watch and checking his suit jacket. "She has your friend. She needs to be dealt with."

John took his gun out of the jacket and checked to make sure it was loaded.

"There has to be a better way," Cara pleaded with him.

He stopped what he was doing, turned to face her and crossed his arms.

"And what would you suggest?"

**xxx TTP xxx**

Natalie paced while she waited at the Penthouse for John to show up. There were four others there with her. A couple of them guarded Russell, who was not looking too good. They had crudely wrapped a rag around the gunshot wound to stop the bleeding. It didn't look like they bothered to clean it. He also had some cuts and bruises on his face and a black eye.

When John arrived one of the guys standing by Russell went over to make sure John didn't have a gun on him. After patting him down, he gave the signal that he wasn't concealing a weapon.

In fact, John didn't need to. It was Natalie's mistake choosing to have the meeting at Jedikiah's. John knew pretty much everything about the place, at least where any weapons were hidden. He glanced around looking to see if any of those spots had been discovered.

Natalie noticed.

"Don't even bother, we found all the guns that were hidden. I knew Jedikiah could be a sneaky bastard. It's just you." Then added in a mocking tone. "Poor, defenseless John."

"Well, I'm here, let him go," John said as he motioned toward Russell.

"Right. Joe, take him," she said to the smallest guy there. "I'll let Cara know where she can find him." She took a moment to send the message then turned her attention back to John. The others stood around him. They weren't too close, but surrounded him.

"You are a very hard man to find," she told him.

"Yeah, well, it's been a crazy couple of days," John replied calmly, standing at ease in the threatening environment.

In their previous confrontations, he had been upset and unnerved by what had happened. This time, he was in better control of himself. He was aware of the situation and what could be done about it. It was what he was trained to do. Lastly, he was focused. Natalie needed to pay for what she did and he was ready.

Natalie studied him for a moment then said, "you seem different. I didn't notice it last time, but it is quite obvious now."

"When you go through what I've been through, it changes you," John replied.

"Enough talk," Natalie said as she took aim. "It's time to finish this."

John stood at attention when she raised the gun. Before she could pull the trigger, he had knocked out all of her gang and appeared behind her.

"Where … how …." startled she turned to face him, but he cold-cocked her with one of the other guns he had grabbed off her gang. Knocking her down, but not out.

"I could kill you," John said coldly as he held her on the ground. "It's what I want to do and what you deserve, but as someone pointed out to me, then Jedikiah would not get justice in the eyes of the law or the media, so I have another plan for you."

Keeping his grip on her neck, he used his free hand to pull a syringe that had been hidden in a nearby potted plant. He kept it just out of her line of sight.

"Problem is, I can't just hand you over to the police," John continued. "At least, not as you are now, but I can solve that."

He plunged the needle into her neck, emptied the syringe then released her. John stood over Natalie and watched. She twitched in agony as the drug pulsed through her system ripping away her powers, making her human. After a few moments, she passed out.

He looked up and glared at the remaining members of her gang, who were either just regaining consciousness or frozen with fear at what they had just witnessed.

"I'll give you one chance, go and don't cause any more trouble. Live your lives peacefully, and I won't bother you again. Choose otherwise and I will find you." His voice was commanding and left them with no doubt that he would follow through with that threat. He mentally read each one and noted which ones were most likely to fail. He would follow those more closely than the rest.

In the distance they heard police sirens and the rest of Natalie's gang disappeared. John sat down in a nearby chair biding his time until the police arrived. He was relieved to have caught the person who murdered Jedikiah.

~ "It's over. Is your friend safe?" ~ John sent to Cara.

~ "Yes, he is." ~

~ "Good. Thank you for helping me, Cara." ~

~ "Will I see ..." ~ Cara started to inquire before John interrupted.

~ "The police are here. Thanks again." ~ He then closed the connection.

Police barged into the penthouse suite to find John casually waiting for them.

"She killed Dr. Jedikiah Price," John said as he pointed to the figure on the floor. "Check her gun, it should match the bullet that killed him."

**xxx TTP xxx**

Once the police had taken Natalie into custody and dragged her out, John tried to settle in, but found it difficult to do so. He had his own place, but Jedikiah welcomed him to stay there whenever he wanted to. He only really took advantage of that offer during the holidays or if a mission was particularly rough. Even still, it always felt like coming home to be in this place ... until this moment.

He was restless. Something was lingering on the edge of his mind, lurking in his subconscious. As he wandered around the seemingly empty space, partially due to Jedikiah's fondness for minimalistic decorating, John just felt so alone. When he found himself back in the room he had taken down Natalie in, he had a sudden flash of a memory. He saw himself strapped to a chair and felt a needle jabbed into his neck. As he shook in the memory, he started to shake in the present. He fell to his knees until the feeling passed, then left as quick as he could.


	5. Chapter 5 - Inside Story

**Author****'****s Note:** _Italicized text_ indicates thoughts

**xxx TTP xxx**

At the Refuge, Cara had just returned with Russell after taking him to the ER. The worst of his injuries obviously was the gunshot wound. Luckily for Russell, it wasn't as bad as it seemed. The doctor was able to get it cleaned up and dressed, then gave him a prescription for some antibiotics to fight the infection. Then the nurse came in to clean and treat the various other cuts and bruises on his face before he was released.

Stephen rushed to meet them at the door and helped Cara get Russell settled in. She wanted to take him to his room, but he wanted to be with "his people, his homies". So they helped him get set up in one of the chairs in the main gathering area.

After making sure Russell was good, Cara went over to the office with Stephen trailing behind her.

"Are you okay?" Stephen went over and hugged her. "What happened? Where's John?"

"I'm fine," Cara replied. "I'm fine. Russell's the one you should worry about."

"What happened? Where's John?"

"I don't know," Cara sadly responded. "The only thing I know for sure is that Natalie took Russell to get John to meet with her. He got Russell released and then he took care of the situation. He was quite determined to just kill her. It scared me to see him that way ... made me realize how different he is now. He never used to be that eager to kill, he dreaded it ... did everything he could to avoid it. I tried to talk him into not killing her outright, but not sure he was listening to me."

At that moment, a nearby TV went to a breaking news report, interrupting the show a small group had been watching.

"Hey, that's Natalie," said one of the former Lair residents, who then ran over to the office and told Stephen and Cara, "uh, guys, you'll want to see this."

"Authorities have just taken into custody the alleged killer of one of the world's top geneticists, Dr. Jedikiah Price ..."

The news anchor gave the rest of the report but all they could do was stare at the image on the screen. There was Natalie, not looking very good, being practically carried to a police cruiser.

"She's human," Stephen whispered.

Cara turned to look at him. "How do you know?"

"Just look at her," Stephen replied motioning to the screen.

Cara looked again and this time it struck her how ... weak Natalie appeared. Still not quite able to believe it, she tried contacting Natalie. There was no response, she couldn't feel anything. It was like a disconnected telephone line, it just didn't go anywhere …. just dead air.

"He did it," Cara said and started to smile. She then looked at Stephen. "He did it without killing her. Maybe there is some hope we can get him back."

**xxx TTP xxx**

Once again John found himself aimlessly wandering the city streets. His mind was still reeling from this latest ... he wasn't sure what to call it. Was it a memory? Or was his mind playing tricks on him?

He just needed to find some place to hide away, to get his thoughts together and figure out what he should do next. What used to be his home - both his own place and Jedikiah's - were now tainted with the memories of the confrontations with Natalie and what used to be. He just couldn't get comfortable there anymore. Not with feeling so lost and no Jedikiah to find him again.

He was really missing Jedikiah. He had no one else to turn to for help.

Reflecting on the past couple of days, he had an idea of where to go.

"_Surely she won't mind_," John thought to himself. "_After all, it had been deserted._"

He found a secluded spot then teleported to the Lair.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Having heard rumors that John had been found, Charlotte sought out Cara to learn the truth.

"Cara," Charlotte said as she approached her. "Is it true you found John?"

"Yes, I found him," Cara responded.

"Then why isn't he here ... with us?" The girl eagerly asked. She was excited to hear this news.

With all the buzz about Natalie being arrested and the usual commotion, Cara took Charlotte by the hand and lead her to a quiet place. They ended up at what looked like it used to be a break room. It had a couple of tables and a few chairs along with a counter that had a built-in sink, some cupboards and a microwave.

"Honey, John is very confused right now," Cara told her as she took a seat next to Charlotte. "He's been through a lot since we last saw him and ..."

"What's wrong with him?" Charlotte asked innocently. "Is it because he's human now?"

"Well ... he doesn't remember us," Cara answered carefully. "And somehow he got his powers back."

"I didn't think that was possible."

"None of us did, but he's definitely one of us again." Cara assured her.

"Then bring him home, so we can help him," Charlotte pleaded.

"It's not that simple," Cara replied. "He doesn't know us and, right now, he doesn't know who he can trust."

Cara hesitated, debating what else to tell the young girl.

"And one more thing, he is very powerful ... and could be dangerous. Don't go looking for him."

"But it's John ...," Charlotte said.

"He's not the John you remember, Sweetie, he's changed."

They sat there awhile - Charlotte processing what Cara had told her, and Cara wanting to make sure Charlotte understood.

"Do you know who did this to him?" Charlotte finally asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "Who gave him his powers back?"

"It must have been Jedikiah ... Dr. Price," Cara answered.

"Is that where John's been? With him?"

"It looks that way," Cara said.

"What did he want with John?"

"I don't know, Charlotte. They have a very ... uhm ... complicated history."

Charlotte opened her mouth as if to say something then seemed to decide against it. She thought about it a few moments longer then worked up the courage to ask "Did he ... experiment on him again?"

She kind of withdrew a bit after asking it. The girl wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

Cara, noticing the action, gently placed her hand on Charlotte's shoulder.

"Other than getting his powers back and the memory loss, it doesn't appear that anything else has happened to him."

Charlotte relaxed again.

"How do we get him back?" The girl asked, returning to her youthful determination.

"I don't know if we can," Cara earnestly responded, not wanting to get Charlotte's hopes up, even though she already had raised her own.

As Charlotte left the room, Cara overheard the girl thinking "_I want my Hero back_." It broke her heart, but she agreed. "_I do too, Charlotte, I do too._"


	6. Chapter 6 - Memory Lanes

**Author****'****s Notes:** _"Italicized text"_ indicates thoughts/memory

~ "text" ~ indicates telepathy

**xxx TTP xxx**

Since Ultra was no longer a threat, the Tomorrow People were free to roam the city. This fact did not interest Charlotte. Strangers scared her. She spent too much time locked up and fearful of those who were experimenting on her to want to explore the world.

She began to build up her confidence when John was helping her, but once he disappeared, that confidence took a hit. When he was by her side, she felt like she could do anything. He would show her the way. Now, she was lost without him. The others took care of her, but didn't really help her like he did; taking the time to train her, helping her fight the darkness that was the shadow of Ultra within her.

While the Tomorrow People had eagerly taken over the old Ultra Headquarters, Charlotte was still wary of the place. The memories were still fresh in her mind of Julian invading her thoughts. Yet, she didn't have much of a choice. It was either be with Stephen, Cara, Russell and all of the other Tomorrow People at the "Refuge" or be on her own.

The best way she found to combat her fears was to stick with the group as much as possible. She didn't explore the building at all. Those few times where she would find herself alone, she would run to find someone else before the panic completely overwhelmed her. If she did venture outside, she would sneak away to the Lair. That was where she felt safe. Her best memories were found there and comforted her.

After her talk with Cara, Charlotte needed to be at the Lair, the place that reminded her of John. She had been really worried about him, but now that she knew he was alive and had his powers again, she found it hard to resist the urge to find him. Then again, Cara warned her that John would not remember her and could be dangerous. She should not go looking for him.

Wanting to remember the good times ... with John, Charlotte made up her mind and snuck out of the Refuge. She didn't tell anyone she was leaving like she usually did. It was late, so she didn't want to wake anyone. Besides, they weren't her parents. The group took turns looking out for her, but there wasn't much more to it than that.

**xxx TTP xxx**

Returning to the couch in that room, it took John awhile to get relaxed enough to sleep. His mind was racing and refused to let him calm down. He was bombarded by thoughts about Natalie and wondered if there would be anybody else coming after him. There was the anxiety about what he would do next, how would he cope with the memory gaps. Jedikiah had wanted to recruit others like him, but died just before they began that process. He didn't want to run this new partnership Jedikiah started. He wasn't a leader, just a follower. Jedikiah was the man with the plan. Jedikiah had told him that one day he would take over, but that was supposed to be years from now. Jedikiah hadn't prepared him for that yet.

For the past few months, ever since he woke up in Jedikiah's apartment after the Founder tried to take his powers, it had just been the two of them working together to build this new organization. They traveled to meet with various high-level government officials and agencies, demonstrating what this new venture could provide. They had just secured the funding to add more agents when Natalie murdered Jedikiah.

John shook his head to clear those thoughts from his mind. He didn't want to think about that right now. Instead, he started thinking about what had happened to him before that. Jedikiah told him how the Founder had captured him—saving the newly-revived Roger from a trap the Founder had set. He had sporadic, hazy memories of the ordeal. Mainly, just the pain from the shots. He thought there were two or possibly even three of them before he passed out. This recent episode was the strongest remembrance of the trauma he had had to date. It was as if he was actually there, not just shadows of the pain.

Jedikiah had given him some time to recuperate from the Founder's assault. Once he was feeling better, he began noticing the gaps in his memory. It became pretty clear there was an issue when he couldn't remember anything he had done just six months ago. When he searched his memories, there seemed to be a period of about 6 years that were completely gone. There was his mission to kill Roger, then Jedikiah watching him as he recovered from the testing the Founder put him through. He approached Jedikiah about the missing time.

"_It must have been a side-effect from the formula the Founder used_," Jedikiah told him.

He accepted that because it made some sense and he had no reason to doubt his mentor. He figured it wouldn't be a problem. Jedikiah let him rest for an additional day then decided they needed to research how the formula effected him ... find out if his powers were the same or if there had been any changes to them.

The initial tests showed that his powers had been enhanced. He had better accuracy with teleporting, which was always his preferred power and the one he used best. But now, there was marked improvement with his telekinesis and telepathy. The more he used them, the better control he had. The rate of improvement was much quicker than the usual training provided. It was more like flipping a switch to turn them on, then actually having to work at it.

The testing continued for a couple of days. It was on the second day that the memory issue started to cause problems. It was odd because he was going along fine then he would freeze up. It was as if his mind just stalled on him and he had a hard time getting it to work again. Jedikiah worked with him to get these episodes under control, gave him some mental exercises that helped him focus and get past those phases. Once he had a handle on it, that is when they fully pursued the government and intelligence organizations for a partnership.

Unfortunately, even though he could now function during the day without any interruptions, the residual effects started invading his sleep. He had strange dreams of faceless people and empty spaces. The area wasn't really empty, it was just how it appeared to him, what he could see. He'd walk through the space and end up running into a wall or table. He would look again, but there was nothing there. Again he went to Jedikiah, who just scoffed and wrote it off as the weirdness of dreaming. John went along with that but had lingering doubts because of a lasting feeling that there was more to it.

"_Where were those places ... who were those people_," was the last thing John thought before exhaustion won out and he fell into a deep sleep.

**xxx TTP xxx **

Arriving in what had been the main gathering area of the Lair, Charlotte paused to recall some of what John had done for her. Being in this place made the memories stronger, made her feel as though he was really there.

Charlotte then proceeded to the Training Room. She shook the dust off one of the mats that had been left there and placed it on the floor in the middle of the room. She then sat down and closed her eyes. She remembered John slowly circling her, telling her how to deal with the dark, black cloud that was Ultra.

_"Destroy it." _

**xxx TTP xxx **

Meanwhile at the Refuge, Cara couldn't sleep so she went to check on Charlotte. She wanted to make sure she was alright and remind her that she should not go looking for John. When she found Charlotte's bed empty, she had a moment of panic.

~ "Charlotte, where are you? You're not looking for John, are you?" ~ Cara urgently sent.

~ "No, I'm not. I'm spending the night at the Lair." ~ Charlotte sighed. Cara had interrupted her memory.

~ "Do you want me to come and stay with you, so you're not alone?" ~ Cara replied.

~ "I'm fine. I'll be back tomorrow." ~ Charlotte respected Cara and considered her a big sister she never had, but she really couldn't relate to her. Cara may have been captured by Ultra but wasn't experimented on, so Cara couldn't understand what she went through. That's what made John so special, he knew.

~ "If you're sure, okay. Just let me know if you need anything." ~ Cara reluctantly sent.

Having settled things with Cara, Charlotte laid down and closed her eyes. She figured she would sleep well tonight, dreaming of John coming back to them.


	7. Chapter 7 - A Step Closer

**Author****'****s Note: **_Italicized text_ indicates thoughts

**xxx TTP xxx**

John was rudely awakened when he was assaulted by someone having a telepathic panic attack. He held his hands to his head and mentally searched to see if he could locate the source. He sensed someone in the room across from him. He grabbed his gun and walked quickly in that direction. He was surprised to find a little girl asleep on the floor, tossing and turning.

For a moment, he wasn't sure what to do. He wondered if this could be a trap or his mind playing a trick on him. Needing to do something, he cautiously approached her. Using the gun handle, he gently prodded her shoulder.

"Hey, hey," he yelled through the screeching. "Wake up!"

Startled awake, all she saw was the gun, so she instantly curled in on herself and put up her hands.

"Don't shoot," Charlotte cried. "Don't shoot."

"Okay, okay," John said as he put the gun away. He shook his head in an effort to clear some ringing in his ears. "What are you doing here, kid?"

Charlotte took a moment to calm down before finally looking up. Once she did, a big grin lit up her face.

"John!" She exclaimed as she jumped up and moved toward him. He put up his hand and backed away.

She wanted to run and give him a hug. Remembering what Cara told her … _"he could be dangerous"_ … she stopped and stepped back, nervously clasping her hands worrying what he might do.

John stared at her and remembered the images of a little girl from the last time he was in this room. She was the little girl.

Lost in thought, John quietly murmured "Char ... lie." It wasn't recognition. He was just repeating the name associated with those memories.

"What?" Charlotte questioned eagerly.

"Charlie," John repeated flatly. "Do you know who that is?"

"That's me," Charlotte answered excitedly. "I'm Charlie. Well, my name is Charlotte, but you call me 'Charlie'. Do you remember me?"

He saw the hopefulness in her eyes and hated to disappoint her.

"Sorry, not really," he frowned and looked away. "It's just the last time I was here, in this room ... I saw you ... you seemed scared. Then the name 'Charlie' came to me, but that only confused me. I thought it was a boy's name ... that's all I remember."

"Oh," Charlotte couldn't hide her disappointment. "That's okay. At least it's something. Maybe the rest will come back too."

She smiled at him again, the hope returning.

John squinted, scrutinizing her closely. There was something about her ... he liked this girl.

**xxx TTP xxx**

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the short chapter, but writer's block has struck again. So in wanting to update this story one more time before the holidays are in full swing, you get this little tidbit. I do plan on finishing it ... actually have the last chapter already written. I'm just at a point where I'm stuck, so I do not know how much more there will be between this and the end. Now with the Holidays upon us (American Thanksgiving next week), I will have even less time for writing. I do hope to post something before the year ends, but not making any promises. If I do get something posted, can't guarantee it will be another chapter of this story. It could be another one-shot. It all depends on what inspires me and having time to write it.


End file.
